KU coach Bill Self excited for new Big 12 addition because ‘Colorado brings others’
Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self is pleased Colorado is returning to the Big 12 Conference after spending the past 12 seasons in the Pac-12.
“From a Big 12-selfish standpoint, I like it because Colorado brings others,” Self, Kansas’ 21st-year men’s basketball coach said Friday in a pre-Puerto Rico trip news conference outside the squad’s practice gym adjacent to Allen Fieldhouse.
“I think that if we are going to get to 16 (teams in the Big 12), I think what has transpired certainly puts us in position to be the third most powerful league in the country. I think that can actually occur.”
Self continued.
“I think Colorado was a big piece to allow that to occur,” Self said. “Now whether or not we go get three more (teams) from the Pac-12 or two more and one from the Big East, I don’t know what we are going to do. I do think that Colorado puts us in certainly a better position with the Pac-12 than we were before.”
Colorado was an original member of the Big 12 from 1996 to 2011, when it departed for the Pac-12.
Self, whose KU teams have a 20-1 record against CU through the years, envisions an 18-game conference schedule even if the league grows to 16 teams. The Big 12 will play an 18-game league slate with 14 teams during the 2023-24 school year. Texas and Oklahoma leave for the SEC after this campaign with CU coming on board to make it 13 teams.
(The Big 12 had some fun in announcing the latest news.)
“If you look at it now,” Self said, “there’s the Champions Classic. The exempt tournament (such as this year’s Maui Invitational) is three games, (plus) the Big East Challenge. We lost the SEC Challenge. You have one marquee home, one away game. You are at seven games right there. The rest of the games will be guarantee games anyway.”
KU athletic director Travis Goff welcomed the Buffs back to the Big 12 in a Twitter post Friday.
The post reads: “The University of Colorado is an outstanding addition to the Big 12 Conference and a testament to the exciting trajectory of the league, as well as Commissioner (Brett) Yormark and the Board’s progressive leadership. CU’s addition brings home a proud university that offers a storied tradition, strong academic reputation and a passionate following. We look forward to reigniting a rivalry in a market that features a strong Jayhawk alumni base and provides our passionate fanbase an opportunity to support the Jayhawks.”
New league member BYU was one of the many schools to congratulate the Buffs on a move to the Big 12.
“Thrilled to have a partner out west,” read a Twitter post of the BYU Cougars account.
New league member Houston issued a Twitter post that read simply, “Howdy!” with a smiling emoji wearing a cowboy hat.
